Skill Courses to Bollywood Rep, Women are Gaining Face In Forensic Science but Struggle to Reach the Lab

After years of "madam sirs" and borderline fallacious portrayals of women in crime investigation, Bollywood has finally delivered a genuine female forensic scientist. Revathi's portrayal of Dr. Panicker in Raat Akeli Hai 2 marks a milestone in representation, a woman peering through microscopes, unravelling mysteries that on screen have belonged almost exclusively to men. The closest predecessor was 2022's Forensic, where Radhika Apte worked closely with investigations as a Sub-Inspector, but not as the scientist herself.

Whilst Hindi cinema has normalised women police officers at crime scenes, even occasionally as lead characters, the forensic laboratory remained conspicuously male territory on screen. This erasure is particularly striking given India's rich, if under-celebrated, history of women pioneering forensic science. 

Dr. Rukmani Krishnamurthy was the first woman in the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Mumbai. She later headed top forensic institutions, leading crucial investigations into cases such as the 7/11 train blasts, the Telgi stamp scam, and the Dr. Mahajan murder. In 1993, she led the explosives department for three months following the Mumbai bombings, with her findings gaining recognition from international bodies like Interpol. Female scientists are also leading academic advancements, such as Dr. Surbhi Mathur at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU). These women didn't merely participate in forensic science, they built its infrastructure, developed its protocols, and trained generations of investigators.

Their contributions, though rarely acknowledged in popular culture, laid the foundations for today's unprecedented surge in female interest in forensic science, a field now witnessing genuine gender rebalancing not just in classrooms, but potentially in laboratories and morgues across India.

The Allure of Evidence Of Why Women Are Drawn to Forensics

What drives this fascination? The answer lies at the intersection of psychology, culture and career pragmatism. True crime podcasts dominate women's listening habits globally, research by Edison Research found that 73% of true crime podcast listeners are women. Similarly, forensic science programmes in universities worldwide report female enrolment rates exceeding 70%. "What we are seeing in forensic science, especially amongst younger cohorts, is not a superficial fad, but the outcome of how women are socialised, cognitively motivated and culturally incentivised towards certain types of scientific work," explains Mihika Sharma, a psychologist who specialises in gender studies. "Forensic science uniquely combines meticulous analytical skill with a direct societal impact, and that resonates with many women's vocational logic: a desire to solve problems and see tangible justice outcomes."

This isn't mere speculation. Studies published in Forensic Science International suggest women gravitate towards forensic fields because they offer purpose-driven science, work that visibly serves justice, rather than abstract research. The blend of chemistry, biology, psychology and law creates a multidisciplinary appeal that traditional STEM fields often lack.

Delhi University's SEC Experiment And Overwhelming Female Uptake

Delhi University's introduction of Skill Enhancement Courses (SEC) in forensic science has become a testing ground for this phenomenon. "In Delhi University classrooms, women consistently comprise a large majority in our forensic science SEC fortunately," notes Padma Dechan, a DU professor who teaches the course. "Many of these students tell me they chose this course not for glamour or gore, as seen on TV, but to gain real investigative skills and actual interest that could enhance their scientific literacy and open doors to multidisciplinary careers."

The two-credit course is intensely practical: students spend six weeks on crime scene investigation, drawing and mapping crime scenes, studying unusual cases involving fire, blasts and water, documenting and reconstructing crime scenes, even participating in virtual field trips to actual crime scenes. Eight weeks focus on forensic evidence collection: preserving fresh and dried body fluid samples, collecting tissues post-mortem, gathering trace evidence like hair and fibres, lifting fingerprints and tyre prints, and preparing evidence for chemical and ballistic analysis.

Sakshi Mullick, a female science student from Shyam Lal college, where Dechan teaches the course echoes this sentiment, "I took forensic science as an SEC because it genuinely fascinated me, the way tiny pieces of evidence, like fibres or fingerprints, can tell an entire story. I was drawn to the practical labs and crime scene simulations, and all my classmates are women who feel the same blend of curiosity and purpose."

The gender ratio speaks volumes, whilst exact figures vary by college, Dechan says that of the three years she has seen the course being taught in her college, female enrollment for the same ranges from 65-80%, a stark contrast to engineering or pure physics courses.

The Reality Gap: Education Versus Employment

But does classroom enthusiasm translate into professional transformation? Here, the picture becomes more complicated. "Women now form a significant proportion of forensic scientists, in some contexts outnumbering men in undergraduate and graduate programmes, but that presence doesn't automatically translate into leadership, equity or systemic change," warns a female forensic scientist working in research at DRDO under anonymity. "We still face unique pressures: higher stress levels compared to male counterparts, persistent questions about competence, and fewer women in supervisory roles."

Dechan here adds a crucial caveat, "As a certificate or elective course, it gives strong foundational exposure but does not always guarantee a clear career pathway. Many students use it to complement biology, chemistry or psychology majors, hoping it boosts employability." Mullick is also candid on this, "Most of us know this certificate alone won't build a career. We're pursuing internships and thinking about further specialisations, because to work in a state lab or digital forensics unit you usually need more than just this course."

The forensic scientist's assessment is sobering, "Real change requires not just numbers but mentorship, institutional support and targeted career pathways, otherwise the momentum we see in education stalls before it reaches senior investigation, management or policy roles." With baby steps of representation to democratisation in classrooms, women are claiming space in forensic science. Whether India's institutions can transform this enthusiasm into equitable careers remains the ultimate unsolved case.